Staff Software Engineer

About Ocient: Ocient is building OcientAIQ™ – a complete ecosystem for delivering trusted agentic AI solutions at petabyte scale, for the organizations that can't afford to get AI wrong. Our customers protect networks, secure nations, and power the global economy. The problems we solve are genuinely hard, and the work matters. Founded in 2016 by the team that built Cleversafe (acquired by IBM in 2015), Ocient is headquartered in Chicago with a remote-first global team. We are a carbon-neutral company backed by leading investors including Greycroft, OCA Ventures, In-Q-Tel, and Buoyant Ventures. Do not contact Ocient directly to apply for a role. For security purposes, any applications received via email will be deleted. Job Title: Staff Software Engineer - distributed systems required Location: 100% Remote (US Based Only) We cannot sponsor or transfer any visas, of any kind now or in the future (ex. OPT, EAD, H1B, H4, etc.) Hiring Manager: Senior Engineering Manager Estimated salary range: $180,000 to $255,000 The salary offered for this position will be based on a candidate’s experience and skill demonstrated during interviews and other evaluations Job Overview: Ocient is looking for experienced Software Engineers to join the Loading Engineering team. Loading Engineering is a software development team focused on Ocient’s Loading and Transformation platforms. The team works closely with end customers and the rest of the Ocient engineering teams to deliver massive-scale data solutions. Ideal candidates are passionate about large-scale systems engineering, high-performance distributed systems, and ensuring customer success. Responsibilities: Lead architecture and technical direction for Ocient's Loading and Transformation platforms, partnering with architects across the engineering org to ensure systems scale reliably to petabytes and beyond. Set technical standards and design patterns for batch and stream ingestion, making tradeoffs that affect multiple teams and the broader platform. Lead ambiguous, cross-team technical initiatives end-to-end, from design through production, escalating only the highest-risk decisions. Mentor senior and mid-level engineers; raise the technical bar through design and code review. Program in modern C++ and/or Java to build and monitor distributed software systems. Partner with Sales, Product, and End Customers on the most complex, highest-stakes engagements, translating customer needs into system design. Drive engineering innovation, identifying and championing improvements that span the loading platform or the wider Ocient stack. Ideal Qualifications: 5+ years of relevant industry experience, with a proven track record of technical leadership across multiple teams or large, complex systems. Deep, expert-level computer science fundamentals and systems design skills. Extensive experience architecting and delivering high-performance, high-availability distributed systems in modern C++ and/or Java, in production at scale. Demonstrated ability to independently own, communicate, and de-risk ambiguous, large-scale technical problems with organization-wide impact. Deep working knowledge of Linux, networking, and databases, including performance and reliability tradeoffs at scale. An Exceptional Candidate Will Have: 8+ years of relevant industry experience, with a track record of setting technical direction across an engineering organization. Expert-level coding capabilities in both C++ and Java. A demonstrated "polyglot" skill set, with a track record of moving fluidly across domains and problem spaces to unblock teams. Proven experience architecting, building, and evolving end-to-end customer-facing systems at massive scale, with lasting influence on engineering standards and practices. Experience mentoring and growing senior engineers into technical leaders. Interview Requirements: All interviews are conducted via video and require candidates to have their camera on for the duration of the session. The use of video filters, face-altering effects, or virtual backgrounds is not permitted for security and verification purposes. We are not open to using an agency or staffing company at this time. We do not accept unsolicited agency or staffing resumes and we are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. Ocient is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, parental status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please contact [email protected] for more information. All official Ocient job postings and recruiting communications will come directly from our team via our Careers page, LinkedIn, or from an ocient.com email address. If you receive communication about a role from any other source, please treat it with caution and direct questions to [email protected] .